The Sun Must Set to Rise
by IfYouCloseYourEyes
Summary: Lara Croft didn't ask to become a killer. But following being shipwrecked on Yamatai, she must do what she must to ensure she and her best friend Sam survive. Set before and during Tomb Raider (2013). Features Lara x Sam
1. Camp Fire Memories

Rain. God how she hated rain.

Funny really, Lara had lived in England enough to become accustomed to terrible weather; she had that typical stiff British upper lip attitude in griming and bearing whatever the heavens threw at her. Of course that had never stopped her wishing she was somewhere with a better climate and less rainfall. Sam, on the other hand, jumped at the chance at complaining at the lovely British weather back when they were at Cambridge University.

"_Jesus Christ, does the rain ever have a day off over here? I feel like Gene Kelly is about to jump out and start warbling along to Singin' In The Rain."_

"_This is England Sam."_

Lara let out a long sigh as she thought back to that day with her best friend. It was when she was in only in her first year, and she'd only known the American girl for a few months. She and Sam had just returned from winter break as they wandered around the quaint shops early on a damp January morning. Yes morning. Sam couldn't resist a chance to hit the sales and so she dragged a reluctant Lara with her.

A loud crash of thunder snapped the young archaeologist out of her memories. Small droplets continued to pour down over the skin of her arms and neck and Lara suddenly realised that she was shivering. What had it been? One or two hours since she'd escaped that godforsaken cave? Waking upside down surrounded by rotting flesh and blood wasn't the nicest greeting that the island she'd washed up upon had to give. And that dead body...god. She still felt sick thinking about it. The sun had just began to set as she'd stumbled out of that opening narrowly missing being crushed to death, and now night had fallen casting darkness all over the land. Lara had salvaged a single match from Sam's abandoned pack, so all she needed to do now was find a place to rest for the night. Hopefully she could contact the others in the morning and regroup. Luckily it wasn't long till she managed to find a small makeshift camp and set a fire going.

The brutal cold that had wormed its way around her body as she'd walked in the rain was replaced almost instantly as the roaring heat from the flames engulfed her. At least she wouldn't freeze to death now, maybe just die from hunger instead. No. Lara couldn't think like that. She had to keep going, keep pushing forward. Hopefully the storm would subside by the morning so she could search for food. No use now when she had no weapons and possible predators stalking the woods. Lara pulled out Sam's camcorder, which was surprisingly still working, and pressed play on the oldest entry. She was greeted with the image of herself sat at her desk back on the Endurance days before they had been shipwrecked. Sam's voice filtered through the speakers and Lara tried to imagine her best friend was sat right beside her.

"_Here's the soon to be world famous archaeologist, Lara Croft, in her native habitat. She's on the hunt for the lost kingdom of Yamatai, home to the fabulous Himiko, mythical Sun Queen...and ancestor of yours truly."_

"_Sam...this is serious." Lara had replied, finally looking up from her notes to face her friend._

"_Oh sweetie..." _

Lara felt her heart flutter slightly at Sam's endearment, just like it had done back on the ship.

"_...I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood here. Everyone's so on edge! What are you so worried about?" _

"_I'm close to something, I'm sure of it. I just don't know if the others will listen...or even if they should."_

"_Lara you know this stuff better than anyone! Seriously, I'm not just saying this to make you feel better. I trust you, Roth trusts you! You got this. Now let's take a break okay?"_

"_Okay, okay. And Sam...Thanks."_

The camera moved away from the archaeologist as Sam turned it around to face herself. At the campfire, Lara smiled at the American girl's face coming onto the screen, and for a minute she forgot she alone on a murderous island.

"_She's not always this serious you know."_

Only Sam would know Lara inside out, the girls had seen each other at their worst and best. At university Lara had been more interested in studying and her father's books than partying and getting wasted, where as Sam was the complete opposite. Lara couldn't count the number of times Sam had interrupted her at 10 o'clock at night, forced her to put on a flimsy dress and then dragged her along to some party or a nightclub. Often with the boys that lived in their dorm, who Sam loved to flirt with; nothing ever came of it, she was just a big tease. As for Lara, she didn't really care all that much. She was more interested in reading about the lost civilisation in Peru than hot guys. Although she did have a brief 'fling' with a guy named Harry two doors down from her room that Sam had pretty much forced onto her.

"_Guess who I've been talking to!" Sam announced as she strolled into Lara's room one Friday night, cell phone in her right hand and coffee cup in the other._

"_Sam, I'm trying to read..."_

"_Yeah, yeah I figured that much. I'm hear however to tell you that you should be reading Harry Snow's abs!"_

"_I beg your pardon?" Lara asked startled as she looked up from her book._

"_Harry Snow! That's who I ran into! He and the boys are going to Fuz tonight, and he asked me if you were coming."_

"_And what did you say?"_

"_I told him yes of course. Now c'mon we need to find you something to wear." The American girl replied, opening up Lara's closet and began rummaging through her clothes._

"_What!? Sam I have an exam to study for."_

"_An exam that isn't until next week, and besides, you're gonna ace it anyway. Ancient Japanese culture? Lara you might as well have a PhD in it. Oh this is cute, try it on!" _

Sam pulled out a short black dress Lara had been bought years ago for her 18th birthday and threw it on the bed.

"_You're not going to let me get out of this are you?"_

"_Nope." Sam replied with a cheeky smile on her face._

A few dates later and Lara and Henry had hit it off. The dates had continued, and all seemed to be going well. Yet Lara couldn't help but think that something was off. It was only about months into the relationship did she come to the realisation that it was because of her best friend. Lara had been sat in the kitchen two doors down slightly tipsy at a mini dorm party, with Sam at her left side and Harry at the other, engaging in various drinking games with the guys.

"_Right ladies, who's up for a little Truth or Dare?" Will announced, sending a wink Sam's way whilst sipping from his bottle of Corona._

Lara, although drunk, had internally cringed. Truth or Dare was an abysmal game in her eyes, and she had a feeling this was just a part of Will's plan to kiss Sam. Sam, who had somehow slumped into Lara's side, giggling like a schoolgirl. Harry placed an empty bottle on the middle of table, spun it, until finally it landed on Will. The game had gone on for a while, and the drinks kept flowing until finally it landed on Lara.

"_Truth or Dare Lara?"Will slurred, wrapping his arm protectively over Sam's shoulders._

Lara had contemplated choosing 'Truth' before her subconscious (her drunk subconscious albeit) had told her to 'man up' as no self respecting Croft would wimp out of a dare.

"_Dare." She'd replied with confidence, raising a questioning eyebrow at Will._

"_Alright then. I dare you to kiss Sam."_

Lara had nearly choked on her drink and in the end resorted to coughing, as Harry patted her on the back trying not to laugh at same time.

"_Is the big bad Croft scared of a challenge?" Will chuckled._

Lara didn't know whether it was the way Will and Harry teased her, or the fact she had that bold Croft instinct, but before her mind could process what she was doing, she had turned to Sam with a daring look in her eye. Unsurprisingly Sam didn't look the least bit phased; in fact she had looked quite pleased as she grasped the nape of the archaeologist's neck drawing them in closer to each other. It was with that drunken snog that Lara had realised she'd harboured some more than friendly feelings for her American friend. She'd broken up with Harry a few days later.

Another flash of thunder and Lara realised she'd been so deep in her thoughts about Sam that the camcorder had reached the end of its footage. A nearby owl hooted over the sound of the wind and rain hitting the ground as she put the camera to one side; she could always look back to the footage if she ever needed to. God knows that if she didn't get off this island soon, then there would be no doubt she'd re-watch footage of her friends. Lying down her side, she was reminded of the injury she'd sustained back in the scavenger den as pain ripped through her left side.

"Argh, bloody bastard," She groaned sitting back up, clutching the wound; she was lucky that she hadn't lost much blood from it.

Lara knew that in a few days it would no doubt get infected, but it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter. She shuffled onto her other side, hoping to find more comfort front from this position. In the end, she knew that it would continue to hurt throughout the night no matter where she laid down. Ignoring the pain as best she could, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Tomorrow she would hunt for some food, before finding the others and Sam. Dear god please let her find Sam. Before she knew it, Lara's thoughts of the Endurance and her best friend blurred into dreams as she dozed off beside the fire.


	2. Mysterious Music

Finding that bow had been dumb luck. Only five minutes into searching for food Lara had stumbled upon that hanging corpse with the bow slung over its body. To be honest, Lara hadn't expected to come across any form of weapon on the island, but then thinking back to her earlier encounter with that savage man in the cave had Lara changing her mind. How many other shipwrecked people had he brutally murdered? She tried not to think whilst prying the bow off the corpse's rotting form. As a weapon it was simple enough. Whoever made it had done so with limited resources; a bunch of bendy branches wrapped together with string and bits of cloth. Sure it might not be powerful, but it would do for now.

It was only when Lara shot her first prey did she realise what terrible aim she had. Luckily she'd hit the deer enough to knock it to the floor, but not enough to kill it instantly. By the time Lara had made her way over to her kill, she'd realised what a mess of it she'd made; the poor thing was grunting and whining in pain as it slowly bled to death. She'd uttered a sincere apology to the stag as she quickly ended its pain with another arrow, before slicing open its belly to gut it. If there was one thing Lara was grateful for it was all those weekends spent with Roth in the British wilderness; climbing Snowdon in Wales, orienteering in the Lake District and of course survival training in the Scottish Highlands that included hunting and prepping her own food. You'd think after learning all that, she'd be able to remember the archery classes her father had enrolled her in when she was younger. Looking at the deer carcass, Lara was beginning to regret that she'd given the sport up when starting university some three years earlier. It was nearing dusk by the time the young archaeologist finally reached her camp with her food. She'd just finished eating the meat when static came over the hand-held radio she'd picked up from Sam's pack.

"_This is Conrad Roth, captain of the Endurance, we are shipwrecked on an island inside the Dragon's Triangle."_

It was Roth! Lara was relived; she could finally talk to someone on this island who she actually knew. Up until this point, Lara didn't have a clue whether Sam or Roth had survived. She'd only caught glimpse of Reyes, Jonah, Alex and Whitman on the beach, before she was knocked unconscious by that crazy man.

"Roth!" Lara all but shrieked into the receiver.

"_Lara?" _he replied.

"You're alive!"

"_Easy, easy," _he reassured. _"Are you okay? What happened?"_

Lara proceeded to retell her story to the ex-marine, including every last detail. She struggled to hold back tears when she told him about that dead body tied up in the cave in what looked like some strange ritual. She'd done this. She'd been the one who had insisted so desperately to sail into the Dragon's Triangle. She was the reason why Sam was missing. The past day had been like some terrible nightmare where you hoped to wake up from, but never did. A lone tear rolled down Lara's dirty cheek as Roth tried to calm her.

"_Lara! Listen to me! I sent an SOS from the Endurance before I abandoned her, hopefully someone caught it. I've spoken to the others; we're regrouping at my location..."_

"Please come and get me!" Lara begged, cutting him off. Roth sighed.

"_I have to stay here. You can do this Lara. Remember when we climbed Snowdon? You said the key was knowing that all you've got to do is just..."_

"Keep moving," Lara finished for him.

She thought back to that day spent in Wales in January. She and Roth had gone off on one of their trips together one weekend in Lara's second year of university; much to Sam's dismay who had been hoping she could drag Lara to the mall instead. Roth had promised to finally take Lara up one of the more channelling routes of Snowdon which, in his eyes, was the finest crag of all, Clogwyn Du'r Arddu. More than two thirds of the way up and Lara didn't show any signs of slowing down her ascent where as Roth, who had maybe had one too many mince pies over Christmas, was struggling more than he should have. In response to him asking Lara to slow down, the then 19 year old Lara had told him 'the key was knowing that all you've got to do is just keep moving.'

"_Remember everything I've taught you Lara, you're ready for this. And keep your radio on." _

"Okay." Lara answered as Roth's voice left her.

She took a few deep breaths before gathering her things and setting off back down the path towards where she found the bow. Lara knew she was in a better position than any ordinary shipwreck survivor. She could climb, she could navigate, and she could hunt. She could do this. She was a Croft.

Lara made her way back through the forest, and out of nowhere she heard music. At first she thought she might be imagining it as a result of trauma or stress, but as she neared the stream where she found her bow, it got louder. In fact it happened to be coming from inside a mysterious looking old shack; an old shack that looked like the setting of one of those horror films where the girl goes inside the abandoned house, while you scream at your TV for her to turn around. Of course Lara was sceptical. But after looking around for another available route to Roth's position only to find there was none, meaning that creepy music or not, she had to go in and investigate.

"Hello?" she called out, hoping that no-one would reply. "Is someone there?"

No answer. Cautiously, Lara stepped into the shack. It was small inside, to no surprise, but she saw that there looked to be a ladder of some sort leading down into a tunnel. Lara walked over and picked up an already lit burning torch, peering down into the darkness. It could be a way through. Suddenly, a large gust of wind appeared from nowhere and slammed the door shut, leaving her trapped. Great. Now she had to descend into the tunnel. Lara climbed down the ladder and began to make her way through the underground pass, where she was now up to her waist in cold murky water. And if Lara thought the dead body she found with the bow had smelled, she was gravely mistaken. The water stunk. What the hell was she doing?

Luckily Lara didn't have far to walk in the water and the tunnel lead to a dimly lit room, with candles and markings similar to the ones that were in the cave. Shit. Did that crazy man have friends that lived here and were just as crazy as him? There was a door directly in front of her, but it was locked. She needed to look for a crowbar of some sort. Taking in her surroundings, Lara noticed that a few barrels and other flammable material were blocking an entrance into a room next door. The material burnt away pretty fast and Lara was able to make her way into what was some kind of abattoir; she hoped that the meat that was around her was deer and not human. Scratch that, this was the worst smell ever. Holding her nose and trying not to gag, Lara pulled out a pry axe from a lump of raw meat next to an old record layer that was the source of the mysterious music. This would hopefully open the door. Unfortunately for Lara, after opening the door with the pry axe, there was more smelly water to crawl through before she could exit to the surface.

Lara had never been more relieved to be back in fresh air. As she stowed her torch, she heard a muffled female voice talking in the distance. Wait a minute. That voice sounded like Sam's! As Lara grew closer, she heard Roth's voice over a radio in the distance.

"_We're on the south-west side." _

It must be Sam! Seconds after hearing Roth's voice, an unfamiliar one spoke up too.

"They'll need to follow the path; it's a bit of a climb."

Lara didn't recognise the gruff, sly male voice. She pulled out her bow, ready to strike if needed. Right now Lara didn't trust anyone who wasn't part of the Endurance crew.

"Did you get that?" Sam said, Lara presumed she was talking into the radio.

"_Got it." _came what sounded like the voice of Reyes.

"We've got a fire. Look for the smoke."

Sam was right around the corner. Lara ached to going rushing in and greet her best friend in a much needed hug. However, she needed to be aware of her surroundings. This man that was with Sam, Lara had no idea if he was friend or foe, and that meant she needed to be cautious. She peered her head around the corner to see her friend sat on a makeshift bench beside a roaring fire. Unlike Lara, Sam was unscathed; no cuts, no bruises, just a bit of dirt here and there.

"Lara!" Sam exclaimed, standing up abruptly with the radio still clutched in her hand. "You made it!"

"Sam, thank goodness." The archaeologist sighed with relief, relinquishing her grip on the bow.

Lara wasn't the only one happy to see her best friend. Sam had been worried sick ever since the wreck about the British girl. Before the storm had struck, Sam had luckily been up on deck chatting with one of the crew about cameras and tripods, meaning that when the Endurance crashed onto the island, she had come out unscathed. Albeit she was alone and shaken, she was not hurt. On the other hand, Sam knew that Lara had been in her cabin and was probably reading; the worst possible place to be if the ship sunk. Ever since washing up on the shore, the filmmaker had not stopped wondering whether Lara had managed to get out. When Reyes and the others contacted her via radio, she was desperate to know if Lara was with them, but they were as in the dark as her. To see her best friend alive and well...hold on. What was that on the left side of Lara's stomach? Christ was it blood? Had Lara been impaled with a pike or something? She'd thought twisting her foot on a loose tree root was bad enough.

Lara's posture went from being relaxed to tense as someone moved to her right. A man, probably in his late forties, stood up and appeared to be relying on a makeshift crutch to support his weight. Sam noticed her best friend's behaviour and reassured her.

"It's okay, he's one of us."

Lara hesitated, before she loosened her hold on her bow again, which she hadn't realised she'd been gripping so hard.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," the man said, his voice smooth and calm. "This place would make anyone jumpy. We just spoke to your crew, they're on their way."

Lara acknowledged the man, but said nothing. It was Sam who broke the silence in the end, pointing to her ankle.

"Look he bandaged my foot."

The archaeologist pitied her best friend, but was at the same time glad that Sam hadn't gone through any of the inflicted horrors she had.

"Oh it was the least I could do," said...wait what was his name? Strange.

As if reading her mind, the man spoke up once more holding out his hand for Lara to shake.

"My manners...I'm sorry, I'm Mathias. A teacher by trade."

Lara carefully returned the handshake, feeling the contrast of Mathias' large rough hands on her own.

"Not really cut out for island life I'm afraid," he finished with a little laugh before shuffling to sit back down near the fire.

Sam studied her best friend's appearance, noticing her ruffled hair and faint dark circles under her eyes. Lara looked like she was in need of a long rest.

"Sweetie," she began, using her affectionate name for Lara. "You look exhausted, sit down."

"Yeah..." Lara replied as she moved to sit beside the campsite, a little bit disorientated.

"Sam here was just telling me about the Sun Queen," informed Mathias.

"Right! Himiko!" Sam chirped.

"Can you tell me more? I'm intrigued."

"Well, believe it or not, a couple thousand years ago Queen Himiko pretty much ran things in Japan."

Lara shook her head and laughed at her best friend's enthusiasm. Sam had pretty much told Lara this story straight away when they met, after she found out that the British girl was enrolled in a Japanese history module. Since then, Lara swore she'd heard it about a hundred times from both Sam, and the rest of the Nishimura family.

"She loves telling this story," she said speaking to Mathias for the first time.

"Himiko was beautiful, enigmatic...but also ruthless and powerful! Legend says she had shamanistic powers."

"And this is where she loses me," you confess, baffled at Sam's willingness to believe in the supernatural. She was like your father in that retrospect.

"Well there's always some truth to myths," replies Mathias with a glint in his eye.

"She commanded an army of Samurai warriors," Sam continued as Lara felt her eyes go heavy. "Her magnificent Stormguard. They rode the very winds into battle, laying waste to all who opposed them. They say the sun rose at Himiko's command and she ruled everything its rays touched..."

By this point, Lara was desperately trying to keep her eyes open. Hunting all day, crawling through that god awful water; it had really taken its toll on the girl. She really tried to stay away for Sam's sake, but what harm would a short nap do?

"_...from the mountains, to the sea and beyond."_

"_But what happened to her?"_

With Sam's soothing voice and the heat from the fire, Lara couldn't help but fall asleep.

_Lara was sat in her cabin back on the S.S. Endurance reading up on Yamatai, trying to find any missing link that might lead her to believe that it wasn't in the Dragon's Triangle. Just because she didn't like Whitman didn't mean that he might not be right about the course they were sailing._

_She pulled out her white iPhone 4S from her pocket and pressed shuffle on her music as she started reading a new chapter of her book. The melancholy tune of Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness filtered through her ears as the boat swayed in time with the sea's waves. The song was just coming to an end as the boat jerked violently, throwing Lara off her bed and into the wall. Abruptly, she yanked her earphones out as the lights went out, and walked out of her cabin into the hallway._

_Screams and shouts of the various Endurance crew could be heard echoing throughout the ship as the ship jerked violently again. Suddenly Lara found herself being swept off her feet as a surge of water flooded the deck. Lara began to panic. She swam as best as she could to the step ladder leading to the top deck as water hit her face with force. The exit was blocked, and the water was rising. She screamed. Please let someone help her. The water had risen there was no air left, she was going to drown. She screamed again as best as she could under water, but it was no use. Her lungs burned, her vision darkened and she couldn't help but begin to sink down from the exit._

_Out of nowhere she was dragged to the surface by a nameless crewman, and pulled into more chaos. Rain thrashed down and lightning flashed as Lara tried to regain her breath. She saw Roth across from her as he called to her. She needed to jump, the boat was splitting in half. She picked herself up and ran. Roth screamed at her to hurry; the boat was already slipping into the murky depths. Lara pushed off and jumped towards the other half of the boat, Roth was leaning out offering his hand for her to catch. Gravity started to pull her down, but before she could fall Roth grasped her hand and tried to pull her up. But Lara's hands were wet and she felt herself slipping. Roth's eyes were wide with horror as he felt her palm leave his. Lara fell towards darkness as thunder clapped._

Lara jolted awake as thunder jolted her from her nap. That dream, of the Endurance wreck, one of the many emotional scars Lara was sure she'd have because of this island. It was only when her eyes stopped blurring from sleep did she realise she was alone.

Sam was gone. And so was Mathias.

Lara scrambled to her feet and called out for them both. She got no answer except for the pitter patter of rain. Damn it! This is what she feared most. She'd known something was off when she sat down at that fire. Instinct had told her not to trust the Mathias but she'd let her guard down anyway for the sake of her best friends.

"SAM! SAM!" she screamed desperately into the darkness.

Lara pulled out her bow and ran back around to the path where she'd walked from the underground tunnel, hoping to see the pair there. But there was nothing. Racing back and past the fire, she stumbled down some old steps, flailing desperately like a lost child. If only she'd looked where she was going and not had her senses clouded by desperation, Lara might have seen the bear trap that she walked onto.

She screamed as the metal jaws clamped down on her left foot. Pain seared through her as it dug into her flesh. Lara tried in vain to pull the metal apart, every twitch making the trap more unbearable. Breathless and scared like a trapped animal, she still called out for her best friend.

"NO! SAM!"

Still she tried, heaving the metal jaws in some lost hope they'd just fall off. That is until she heard a sound that froze her to the spot. She shivered as the nearby sound of wolves could be heard howling with glee. Panicking, she grabbed her bow; she'd have to fight them off while stuck. Her breaths grew shallower as the howling got closer. She prayed that they weren't after her and that they'd found a wounded stag instead or something, but she knew that was just blind hope. The wolves could smell blood, and they were coming for it.

Coming for_ her_.

* * *

**Thanks for all the feedback and support so far, hope you all are enjoying it!**


	3. First Kill

**A big thanks to all the reviews, favourites and follows this story has been getting so far. I really appreciate it! **

**This next chapter will continue to focus on Lara, and will have a sprinkling of some Lara x Sam fluff, but not much. I'm saving that for later.**

**AN: I do realise that it is Assassin's Creed not Deed before you all ask. And in case you don't notice, I tweak what Sam says in her journals just a little bit. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Get off me you bastard!" Lara screamed as the full weight of a large wolf jumped onto her helpless form.

The beast had sprung from the bushes towards Lara with its sharp teeth, as a flash of lightning lit up the night sky. Before she could even aim properly, the wolf had already begun snapping at her trying to get a taste of her flesh. Its snarling jaw was only a few inches from her face when Lara grabbed a nearby abandoned arrow and dug the head into the wolf's neck. The wolf's body went slack as its life drained out and Lara forcefully pushed the huge creature off. She didn't have long before another one was upon her, but this time she was ready for it. Lara had fired an arrow into the wolf's skull before it was even a metre near her. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she waited for another attack but luckily none came. The wolves had backed off for now.

"Thank god," she gasped before turning her attention back to the foot caught in the bear trap.

It still hurt like hell and didn't seem to be coming loose anytime soon. Shit, what was it Roth had taught her about traps? Actually wait, did he ever mention them to her? Of course not Lara, why would he? England doesn't have any bears roaming through the wilderness! She mentally kicked herself.

"Over here! I found Lara!" came the familiar voice of Joslin Reyes as she appeared from the bushes, where the wolves had once been, holding a gun.

"Reyes!" Lara yelled.

Reyes jogged over to Lara as the rest of the crew climbed up the hill. Lara had never been so relieved to see the faces of Jonah, Alex, Grim and bloody hell, even _Whitman_. It was only when she moved her leg again did she remember the excruciating pain in her foot.

"Let go," ordered Reyes whilst aiming her gun at the trap before firing.

The contraption immediately loosened up and so did the pressure on Lara's ankle. Jonah's big form knelt down beside Lara and pried the trap's jaws open with a heavy grunt.

"It's good to see you Little Bird," he said helping her up to her feet.

"I'm so glad you're here, is Sam with you?"

Lara hoped desperately that this was all just a big hoax, and that Sam was ok and hadn't been accosted by Mathias and was about to jump out from the trees and yell 'surprise!' before engulfing her in a hug.

"She was with you..." Jonah replied.

Oh no. This wasn't another one of Sam's petty pranks. She really had been taken; Lara nearly began hyperventilating at the thought. It had been her idea to go into the Dragon's Triangle and look how that had worked out. Now she'd fallen asleep and let Sam get abducted. All of this, was her fault.

"She was here with that man Mathias, but I passed out and when I woke up they were both gone."

"Ya girls shouldn't go wanderin' off!" Grim stated in his thick Glaswegian accent.

"We need to find her! I need to find her!" Lara exclaimed, close to tears.

In response Grim muttered something under his breath, Reyes rolled her eyes and Jonah placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, looking at the girl with sorry eyes. Nearby Alex scratched the back of his head at a loss as what to do or say.

"We'll find her Little Bird, don't worry."

"Uh, w-wait, what about Roth?" Whitman enquired; he'd been very quiet up until then.

"Okay," spoke Reyes, her voice demanded authority. Well she was an ex-cop after all. "Let's split up. One of us go with Lara and meet up with Roth. The rest of us will fan out and look for Sam."

"I'll go with Lara," Alex stated.

Lara gave him a small smile which he immediately returned. Of course the archaeologist knew about his crush on her; Sam had told her only a few days after being on the Endurance. Alex was a nice guy and a good friend and had she not been interested in Sam, Lara probably would have returned his affection.

"No, no...let me." Whitman insisted, pushing a dejected Alex back with his left arm.

Lara eyed him sceptically. Reyes did too as she handed over her gun to the Doctor.

"You know how to use one of these?"

"Um...it's b-been a while. It's all coming back to me," came the reply, as his shaky hand took the offered firearm.

"Get to Roth. We'll find this Mathias guy Lara, I swear."Lara smiled at Alex again before he and the others left.

Brilliant, now she was stuck with Whitman and his over exaggerating pompous self. Don't get her wrong, she respected him and all he did in the field, but his hunger for fame was something Lara didn't quite understand. Or trust. Being a celebrity was not something that interested Lara when she had decided to be an archaeologist. Her father cared little either; he just happened to become one later on in his career. Whitman feigned concern at Lara's injured foot as she hobbled back over to the makeshift campsite, before leaving to scout out ahead. Lara was alone once more with nothing but her thoughts and the crackling of the fire.

As she sat down, Lara noticed a leather bound journal to her right that it looked an awful lot like one Sam carried around. Upon further inspection it was revealed to be the American girl's, as she had wrote her name upon the top of the inside page. Trust Sam to leave her belongings lying around...unless she hadn't actually planned to leave this behind? Mathias could have taken her away before she had a chance to do anything. Lara shuddered. Don't think about that right now, Alex and the others were going to rescue her and then everything would be fine and dandy. Turning her attention back to the journal, Lara contemplated whether Sam would actually mind her reading it. It wasn't like they shared any secrets right? Oh wait. Unless you don't count the fact that Lara was secretly crushing on the filmmaker. Skimming through the first few pages, there was a lot of information about the first few days spent on the Endurance, including Sam's frustration at Whitman's diva tendencies and how excited she was to find out more about her ancestry. But Lara also discovered that Sam had had a sort of premonition before they'd sailed into the Dragon's Triangle.

'_Lara's having a crisis of confidence, so for her sake I'll keep up the happy face...as we sail closer to the Dragon's Triangle I'm starting to feel nauseous.'_

Sam had put on a facade all for her wellbeing? Lara suddenly felt very guilty for what had happened to them both.

'_Maybe I can convince Lara to take a break and have a drink with me?'_

The archaeologist smiled as she thought back to that happier time when Sam had dragged her away one night on the ship, and forced her to do tequila shots along with her and Alex. The three of them had gotten very drunk and had ended up with Alex puking over the side of the Endurance as Lara and Sam watched on. Lara chuckled to herself before she continued on to the next entry.

'_Lara doesn't know it, but I've been shooting footage of her too. I really want to make sure she gets the credit she deserves, and besides she looks great on film. She's fucking hot and I don't think she even realises it! The audience will love her, but not just for her looks. She's incredibly intelligent, more so than that jerk Whitman.'_

Sam thinks she's hot. Sam, her extremely good looking and adorable best friend thinks that she, Lara Croft, is hot. Surely she didn't mean in the way Lara though she did? An entry a few pages later answered her question

'_Me and Lara have had so many adventures together. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (Lara was in her element, wanting to go off and explore all the time), walking through the streets of Rome. Oh and that insane backpacking trip through Bulgaria, I was always dragging her out to clubs! Don't get me wrong Lara always looks gorgeous, but something about her in a little black dress...I can't take my eyes off of her. I don't know what this is I'm feeling, but I've never felt it before that's for sure. Maybe I just need to shake it off...'_

Lara couldn't quite get her head around it all. Never in a million years did she think that this little infatuation she had for her best friend could ever be returned. Sam had never shown anything but platonic interest in her. For Lara to read all these journal entries about Sam describing this feeling...Ugh no, stop it Lara. Now was not the time. Sam was missing and she needed to regroup with Roth. Because Roth would know what to do, and he'd be able to get them all out of this mess.

"Lara! Over here! I found something!"

Whitman's voice in the distance reminded Lara that he was waiting for her. She stood up and found that her foot didn't really hurt that much; it could have been a lot worse. After encountering a few more wolves, which Whitman failed to warn her about, she made her way towards him, pushing more than friendly thoughts about Sam to the back of her mind.

It turned out that the big gate Whitman was standing by was blocking their path and after strengthening her pry axe up a bit, both she and Whitman managed to work together to open it. They managed to make light conversation about the island and relics they encountered. Whitman suspected that the female figure that kept appearing was Himiko, leading to Lara thinking he was channelling Sam. His suspicions were soon confirmed when they came to a small clearing with a seated statue; lit red candles surrounding its base.

"Incredible! It is Himiko!" Whitman boomed excitedly.

"But look...the bowl, the candles," Lara stated hovering her palm over the heat. "Why is she still being worshiped?"

"This island, it must have once been part of Yamatai! You were right Lara!"

"The lost kingdom!"

"It's like finding Atlantis! Oh just think of the money we'll make..."

Trust Whitman to only be concerned with the fame and wealth aspect, and not the crazy island lunatics that were running around.

"But this is real Dr. Whitman, we're not standing on a myth."

"No we're standing on a gold mine!"

A twig snapped nearby and the pair turned round to see a strange man with a beard behind them. Whitman pulled out the gun given to him by Reyes and aimed it caught a glimpse of the pistol harnessed to his left thigh and instantly didn't trust him. The last strange man she'd encountered on this island had taken Sam, and she been damned if she didn't trust her instinct this time.

"Come quickly, your friends are hurt." The man said in a monotone voice.

"Yes probably by them!" Lara warned.

"Get back!" Whitman ordered, flinging the pistol clumsily in his hands.

"They can't be trusted!"

Suddenly another appeared on a platform in the trees above them. This man was armed with a bow, and had it fixed on them. Whitman's face was filled with worry and uncertainty, unlike Lara who knew that if it was her that had the gun, she wouldn't have hesitated to shoot.

"You still have a gun!" she reassured, but Whitman ignored her.

"I don't want any trouble! We'll come but I insist afterwards you take us to whoever's in charge."

"What are you doing!?"

"Be quiet," he snapped.

Lara's pleas fell on death ears as Whitman held up his arms in surrender before placing his gun on the ground. Lara refused to give up so easily. She quickly drew her bow and was just aiming for the man's head before she was knocked to the floor from behind. In an instant she was kicking and flailing her arms around to try knock off her attacker, while Whitman pleaded with the men not to harm her. Eventually Lara was subdued, and found her wrists being bound behind her back.

"J-just go along with them Lara!" Whitman instructed as the man's big hands yanked her to her feet. "Do whatever they say."

Her attacker picked her bow off the ground and slung it over his shoulder whilst muttering something gruffly to his accomplice in Russian, before pushing Lara forcefully away from Whitman. The man stank of filth and something else that Lara didn't want to guess at as he leered at her tank top covered chest. He took Lara to another clearing in the forest, where they were keeping three workmen from the Endurance prisoner; Lara recognised one of them as Stewart, who'd been close friends with Roth.

As she was pulled along, he called out, "Lara!" as he tried to run over to her, only to be knocked to the ground by one of the thugs.

"If they give you any trouble, kill them!" the Russian commanded.

"Don't hurt them please!" Lara begged.

"I said silence girl!"

The Russian backed, or rather pushed the young archaeologist by her shoulder against a tree trunk. She was terrified; the man was intimidating and stood a good foot or so above her height. Lara was even more horrified as he trailed his rough sweaty hand up her arm and shoulder, pausing lightly to caress her collarbone, sneering at her in his native tongue. In a futile attempt she tried to move past him but failed as he easily intercepted with his arm, and moved in closer to her body.

"Let go of her!" yelled Stewart in the background.

Lara wasn't entirely aware how they managed it, but Stewart along with the other two broke free and began running away. The Russian's attention was quickly focused on them

"Lara run!" one of the workmen commanded, before being brutally shot in the head.

"No!" she screamed as his limp body fell.

"Round them up! Round them up!" barked the Russian before turning to Lara and giving her a swift, powerful backhanded slap across her face. "Don't you fucking move!" he ordered before walking off to find the escaping workmen.

Shit, she was in big trouble. If she stayed where she was, Lara had no doubt that the Russian would return and do god knows what with her. If the way he felt her up was anything to go by, she definitely didn't want to remain here. Lara needed to escape and find Roth, and the only way she could do that is if she snuck past the guards. Her hands were still tied so if she was caught, it'd be game over. Quietly she crouched down behind a nearby wall and moved up alongside it, hoping the guard on the other side wouldn't spot her with his flashlight. Luckily, he began walking down the path to where she had been stood by the tree, leaving her with a chance to move out of cover and further up the hill.

Strangely enough, Lara was reminded of the time on board the Endurance when Alex had introduced her to video games much to her dismay. One game in particular stood out for her right now. What was it called again? Assassin's Deed? Well whatever its name was, Lara did remember that it was all about stealth, and that the character on screen often needed to stay out of sight and sneak past people. This was something she needed to replicate right now as she narrowly avoided an oncoming guard by slipping into the remains of a ruined building.

"Hey keep an eye out, the girl's missing!"

Well it was only a matter of time before they realised. And if Lara didn't move soon they'd no doubt find her in here; she just needed to keep moving. Lara carefully ran up a set of stone steps and snuck in between busted up wooden door to amore sheltered hut. She must have only been in there for a few seconds when she heard the familiar voice of the Russian nearby. He walked right past the gap she slipped through and Lara held her breath.

"No-one escapes." He stated before she heard the click of a gun. He'd found her. "Out!"

Lara had no choice to comply. The second she stepped out from the shelter, his hands were on her, gripping into the skin on her neck.

"I always find them," he boasted, before his hand began to slide down Lara's left side.

He was just about to grab her hip when Lara fought back by kneeing him in the crotch. The sleazy man doubled over in pain and Lara saw a window of opportunity to get away. Unfortunately, the Russian caught her arm as he regained his composure, and flung her back. This time he pushed himself full flush against Lara, pinning her shoulders to the side and began to nuzzle her neck with the tip of his nose. The archaeologist shuddered as she felt his breath on her ear. Wait! That was it! Without warning, Lara sunk her teeth into his ear and pulled on it as hard as she could. The Russian hissed in anger and he jolted his body away from her. In response Lara frantically ran and collided against him to knock him off his feet.

The gun that he had been wielding flew in the air and landed a few feet away from them both. Miraculously, Lara somehow managed to loosen the bonds on her wrists as she made her way to the firearm. She grabbed it and turned around ready to fire, but much like before with the wolf, he was already upon her trying to pull it from her grasp. They wrestled with it furiously, until Lara managed to overpower his strength to the barrel of the gun towards the Russian's head. Without a second thought she pulled the trigger.

With a loud bang, the bullet tore through the man's skull and exploded out with blood and bits of brain everywhere. At the same time, his body was flung back off of Lara with the sheer force and landed with a thud. Lara remained frozen to the spot, covered in his blood with the gun clutched tightly in her hands as the Russian drew his last breaths. A few seconds later, realisation began to sink in that she had just killed someone. She'd taken a life, and it had been so incredibly easy. Her stomach lurched and she quickly turned to the side as her stomach emptied its contents. Shaking, Lara couldn't help but begin to cry at what she'd done and what could have happened had she not pulled the trigger.

"Oh god," she sobbed as she risked another look at the corpse she'd created.

Lara eventually took a moment to compose herself once the tears had stopped. She needed to keep remembering that the Russian man was evil. He'd ordered his men to kill, and he would have very nearly killed her had she not fought back. Lara had a feeling that it also wouldn't be the only time on this island that she'd need to take a life. She was alone at the moment, but the rest of the men were still looking for her, and she wasn't out of danger yet. Some kind of Mountain Temple loomed ahead, and judging by the noise and flashing of torchlight the guards were too. Lara needed to pull herself together. She was going to make it to Roth, and she'd be damned if she'd let anyone stand in her way.

With a renewed purpose, Lara retrieved her bow and pistol before heading in the direction of more danger.


	4. Holding Out For a Hero

Sam felt like she was in a dream. Well it wasn't really a dream; dreams were meant to make you feel happy or nothing at all. This was more like a nightmare. A horrible nightmare where she'd been kidnapped by some deranged man on an unknown island in the middle of nowhere.

To be honest she felt like this was all some big hoax and that she half expected Ashton Kutcher to jump out at her with a bunch of cameras and yell 'you just got punk'd!' Lara and the rest of the crew would have been all in on the joke and Mathias wasn't really some crazed cult leader, but a hired actor named Joe who lived in downtown Los Angeles and had two kids. And heck maybe they'd even called in a hypnotist to make her believe she'd really been in a shipwreck. Boy she had some imagination. As if she'd ever be on _Punk'd_. To start, Sam wasn't even remotely famous; the biggest claim she had was as the heiress of Nishimura Corp, so why would Ashton even remotely care about pranking her? Sam was most likely going to die here and for once she wished she wasn't right.

Mathias had obviously planned this out from the moment Sam ran into him. Acting all nice and charming, bandaging her injured foot by the campfire, taking interest in her stories about Himiko...it was all a lie. Well his interest about Himiko probably wasn't. God how had she been so naive? When Lara had arrived at their campsite Sam had noticed how jumpy she'd been around Mathias. It was only when she'd drifted off to sleep that her body finally relaxed. Then not a mere minute later Mathias had pointed a gun at Lara's sleeping head and threatened to shoot if Sam didn't come with him.

"_No! What are you doing?" _

"_I advise you to shut up Samantha if you want her to live," Mathias demanded. "Now this is what is going to happen, you're going to keep your mouth shut and come with me."_

"_And if I do, you won't hurt Lara?" Sam asked._

"_I won't harm her." _

Sam had reluctantly agreed and let Mathias bound her wrists behind her back, all the time with tears rolling down her eyes. It was only when he'd led her down a small set of stone steps and through the woods to a large gate did Sam realize how wrong she'd been to trust him. A small group of armed men waited by the large door where Mathias greeted them all before ordering one to set up a large bear trap near the campsite.

"_What! You said you wouldn't harm her!" Sam wailed, struggling in his grasp._

"_And I'm keeping that promise," he replied coldly. "Set up the trap, then release the wolves."_

One of the men disappeared and returned a few minutes later informing them that it was all ready. Somewhere off in the distance Lara had appeared to have woken up, as Sam and the others heard the British girl calling out for her best friend. But before Sam could even try to answer, a large gloved hand clamped down over her mouth and a gun was pushed in between her shoulder blades.

"_Don't even think about it Samantha."_

Seconds later the entire forest echoed with the sound of Lara's scream as she helplessly fell into the trap set out for her. Mathias turned and nodded to his followers. Sam had begged and pleaded, even with the hand over her mouth, all while thrashing out in some desperate attempt to stop the men as they opened the nearby cages where the savage beasts were kept. The last thing Sam had heard was the sound of Lara's strained pleas and the howls of the wolves, before someone smacked her round the back of the head and knocked her out cold. When she'd finally come around, she was being carried over the shoulders of one of Mathias' savages as they walked through what looked like some kind of rusty shantytown. From there she'd been led into some ancient Japanese palace that was built high above the shantytown. Navigating through corridors, the thugs had eventually pushed Sam into a small room that resembled her Grandma's lounge back in Tokyo.

That was where Sam was now, hands no longer bound and with two men stood outside guarding the only exit. Aside from the pain in the back of her head, Sam uninjured. The men had not mistreated her in any way and they'd even gone so far to bring Sam a bottle of water and a can of cold soup. She presumed the Solarii (that was what Mathias called himself and his group of survivors) must live off whatever food washed up with the various wrecks, as well as the animals that wandered the island. Of course Sam still had no idea what they even planned to do with her, or why Mathias had taken her in the first place and not Lara as well. She couldn't do much really, aside from silently cry to herself about Lara's unknown fate and listen to the conversations her guards had with each other outside her door. More than often they appeared to be playing games of cards or chess to pass the time whilst talking about some fire ritual that Sam didn't like the sound of.

"Did you hear brother?" spoke one guard, grabbing Sam's attention.

"About what?" the other replied.

"About one of the survivors from the latest wreck!"

Survivors from the latest wreck? Surely they must be talking about from the Endurance? Sam hoped they were.

"What about them?"

"Are you shitting me? You haven't heard?"

"No I haven't, I've been guarding this door ever since Father Mathias brought the girl here. Just fucking tell me already."

"Well they killed Vladamir."

"Holy shit are you kidding me? Man, Dmitri and Nikolai are not gonna be happy."

Sam couldn't really picture any of the Endurance crew or officers killing anyone. But then again, she supposed Roth, Grim or Reyes all could do the deed. What with Roth being an ex-marine, Reyes an ex-cop and Grim being...well Grim.

"But wait brother there's more. The survivor? It's a fucking _girl_ no older than nineteen. And not only did she kill Vlad, she took out our entire team up at the bunker before radioing a plane from the tower. Of course the plane ended up crashing and we haven't heard anything about her since, but still."

"I don't know what to say, I'm speechless."

So was Sam. Speechless and stunned. Lara had survived? She'd survived and gone on a killing rampage against the Solarii? That didn't sound like the shy archaeologist that Sam knew. Surely not the same Lara who couldn't stand the sight of blood and got queasy when watching surgery programmes on TV? But if it was Lara, then she was still alive and hadn't been mauled to death by wolves and she could rescue Sam. If only she could get a hold of her or anyone. Her iPhone was probably at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean somewhere or had been swallowed by a fish, so that option was a no go.

The filmmaker was snapped out of her thoughts when the door flung open to reveal Mathias flanked by the two guards. He was dressed differently than before; now donning a hooded cloak and loose fitted pants. Sam noticed his crutch from before was now being used as a kind of ritualistic staff, and to no surprise his limp was gone.

"How are you settling in Samantha?"

Sam hated her full name, the only person she ever let get away with using it was Lara. So her dislike for Mathias was only strengthened when he kept calling her it.

"What do you want from me Mathias?"

Sam was surprised how easily she managed to mask her fear. Out the corner of her eye she spotted a handheld radio hanging loosely off of the belt's of one of the guards. She could use that to contact Lara...

"Your co-operation. I trust you are behaving and not causing any trouble?"

"What if I did?" she retorted.

"Well," Mathias chuckled. "That might not end up well for your friends."

"What are you talking about? If it's about Lara I already know your plan to kill her didn't work."

"Yes she has been a nuisance, but we already have a plan in motion to stop her. And besides, it's not her I'm talking about. My men caught three of your crew snooping around outside the palace, I believe they are called Jonah, Alex and Reyes?"

"Don't do anything to them!"

"Like I said that depends on your cooperation. Tell me Samantha, how long do you think I've been on this island? Because I can tell you it's a very long time."

Sam didn't answer and instead kept her focus on the floor. The last time she trusted Mathias, he'd captured her and then nearly killed Lara. What was stopping him from doing the same this time? Surely if she refused whatever he asked her to do, he'd do it anyway so why all these mind games? Mathias was about to speak again until he was interrupted by another of his men running into the room.

"Father Mathias! Our plan to stop the outsider failed!" the Solarii huffed as he caught his breath.

The man was covered in scratches and cuts and appeared to be suffering an injury to his left knee. In honestly he looked like hell.

"What?!" Mathias fumed, whirling round to snarl at the man.

Sam almost felt sorry for him. She also took her chance to steal the radio from the guard's belt before sneaking it into her jacket pocket. None of them suspected anything.

"It was the Oni! They came out of nowhere!"

"And the girl?"

"She escaped. Our entire team was massacred; I barely made it out alive..."

Mathias said nothing. The entire room became eerily quiet as everyone waited for his next move. Calmly, he walked over to one of Sam's guards and pulled out his pistol from the holster before shooting the battered man point blank. Sam let out a scream of horror as the Solarii slumped on the floor beside her as blood pooled out from his head. She'd never seen a dead body.

"Get this mess cleaned up," ordered Mathias before turning his attention back to Sam who was trying hard not to cry. "Don't think I won't do the same to your friends if you don't work with me."

And with that he left the room as the two guards dragged the body out with them also, leaving Sam alone once more. She tried to calm herself before pulling out the radio. Her hand twisted and fiddled with the buttons trying to find a frequency that wasn't just static.

"H-hello? Anyone?"

No answer. Sam tried again, with a different frequency. Still no answer. She kept trying fruitlessly for five minutes but there was still no reply. In her panicked state she began to think very irrationally as her mind jumped to conclusions as why no one was answering. Or my like why Lara wasn't answering. What if Lara died whilst they were on this island? What if she'd just been killed at this very moment and was lying face down in a ditch somewhere? Oh god, she'd never get a chance to tell Lara all these feelings she'd been having. Like how whenever Lara walked in the room, Sam would just stop and do nothing but stare. The butterflies she got in her stomach whenever they held hands, or hugged. And fuck, that drunken kiss. The way Lara had turned to her with that determination in eyes before sealing their lips together. Sam had responded immediately, but at the same time it was like a light bulb had been switched on; all these feelings had poured out that Sam didn't know she had when Lara brushed her tongue against hers. To think that she may never experience that again, broke Sam.

"Hello? Hello!"

"_Sam?"_ finally came the reply. Sam let out a cry of joy at the sound of her best friend's voice. _"Sam its Lara!"_

"Oh god Lara, it's so good to hear your voice!"

"_Yours too Sam. Is the rest of the crew with you?"_

"N-no," she stuttered, emotions threatening to spill over again. "I just managed to steal this radio off a guard."

"_A guard?" _Lara inquired.

"I've been kidnapped."

"_What?! Where are you?"_

"I don't know...some old Japanese palace. They keep mentioning a fire ritual. Lara I'm fucking terrified," sobbed the filmmaker.

Suddenly heavy footsteps thumped down the corridor outside. Fuck the guards were coming back, likely to clear the blood off the wooden floor.

"Shit, someone's coming. I've gotta hide this thing."

Sam reluctantly switched off the radio, cutting off Lara's questioning, and stuffed the device back in her pocket. Two seconds later the guards walked in with a pail of soapy water and a mop whilst discussing the fire ritual. They both eyed her suspiciously before turning back to the task at hand. Sam felt her body relax as the tense moment passed by. As soon as the Solarii left the she would turn on the radio again, and Lara would answer. She'd be able to tell the girl where she was and Lara would come and get wasn't long before the guards were finished and exited the room once more. Sam wasn't religious, but she sent a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening as she flipped the on switch.

"Oh god that was close. Are you there?"

"_I'm here Sam," _Lara sounded a little out of breath, but nothing more. "_Are you okay?"_

"What do they want with me Lara, a fire ritual? This is so fucked up!"

"_Listen," _Lara commanded with a strong tone of voice. _"I'm coming to get you and I'm going to get you out of there. You need to stay calm Sam."_

"Please...please help me Lara!" Lara's soothing words of reassurance were doing nothing compose Sam's mini panic attack.

"_I promise. I promise Sam."_

Before Sam could reply, the door flung open as the guards returned once more. The filmmaker froze, radio in hand.

"Hey she took your radio!" one thundered as she stormed over to the frightened girl.

"Oh no! Please no!"

The guard grabbed her wrist in a vice grip and tore the device out of her hands and handed it to his friend, all the while Lara's voice called out to her in worry. With a flick of the switch, the Solarii turned the device off with a smirk.

"You know brother; it's been a while since we had such a pretty girl under our guard," he grinned at Sam.

"That's enough!"

Sam had never been so relieved to see Mathias as he sauntered over to the guards perching over her. Immediately the two men composed themselves and moved to the side. Mathias glared at the two before hauling Sam to her feet. He took out some rope and rebound her hands together like he had done back at the campfire.

"We are beginning the ritual in the chamber at sundown brothers," he informed the men. "In the meantime, you can go defend the shantytown; I believe the outsider will be making her way there soon thanks to Samantha. I'll take her over to the chamber myself since you two can't seem to control yourselves."

Mathias pulled on Sam's arm and dragged her out down the corridor. Sam didn't know why she was needed, or what the fire ritual was for. But she did know that it wasn't going to end well for her. Her only hope was that Lara could get to her in time. She had promised after all, and if there was one thing Sam could guarantee about Lara it was that she always kept them. So for now she would cooperate with the madman.


	5. The Fire Ritual

**Ok, ok. I know it's been pretty much a month and a bit since I last updated but I did have a good reason. Being back at uni has meant lots of deadlines and exams, but luckily for you lot I'm now done for summer! This means I should be updating regularly now :**)

* * *

Lara grunted as she slammed the climbing axe into the cliff face. The metal pick lodged itself in-between two pieces of craggy rock, effectively halting the archaeologists fall as she gripped the axe's shaft. She'd just jumped off yet another crumbling ancient building after crossing under the bridge of the palace where Sam and the others were being held captive. Once again, Lara had made it out alive by the skin of her teeth...but only just. Lara's other hand clung to the rock as she steadied herself, before she began hauling her body up the cliff. When she reached the top, Lara let out a sigh of relief, whilst hunching over to catch her breath. Assessing her injuries, Lara found that her left ankle stung a little when she put pressure on it from where she had landed badly crossing the bridge. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do now except to grin and bear the pain.

There was a small cavern in front of her, which she hoped would lead her into the palace. Glancing back, Lara looked over to the pagoda in the distance where she knew Conrad Roth was. A few brief flashes of reflected light from the building confirmed that Roth knew she had survived. In a different situation she would have loved to have had time to appreciate the breathtaking view of the Japanese wilderness; however Lara had to prioritize and focus on her friends rather than the picturesque sunset behind her. Gripping her radio she spoke to the Northerner.

"Roth, I'm heading in."

"_Are you sure about this Lara?_" came the worried reply.

Lara understood Roth's concern. She'd been like a daughter to him, and ever since Richard Croft went missing all those years ago Roth had been her father. Roth didn't doubt Lara's skills or that she could rescue the crew, but that didn't stop his anxiety over the young woman going in alone. These bastards were dangerous fighters; Grimm's death had proved that.

"I'll get them, I'll come back," Lara reassured softly. "I promise."

Clipping the radio back onto her belt, the archaeologist made her way through the cavern with her best friend on her mind. Yes Lara was worried. More than worried to be honest; terrified was more accurate. Sam was going to be burned alive if she didn't stop it. Lara couldn't fathom what she'd do if she failed in rescuing the filmmaker. All this pain and suffering she'd endured had been all for the small chance that she'd see Sam's smiling face again; the cute dimples, the warm brown eyes, the soft dark hair. Lara thought back to the journal entry she'd read where Sam had mentioned that what she was feeling may be more than platonic too. She'd be damned if she let Sam die before telling her she felt the same.

After wading through more murky water Lara finally reached the entrance to the palace. She realized she'd have to try to avoid making a habit of swimming through more due to the risk of infection in her side. The wound was red and it looked like it was spreading to other parts of her skin, although Lara didn't know whether that was because of the cauterization or not. As she walked through the stone corridors littered with burning candles, she began to hear the sounds of muffled voices in the distance. Drawing her new bow she tiptoed carefully around the corner, before leaning against a large pillar. The sounds of voices were hushed suddenly.

"My brothers, listen to me now!" Lara recognized that one. It was Mathias. "Out in the world we were nothing."

Quietly, Lara slinked closer until she could see into the large cavern where Mathias' voice had come from. There were around two dozen or more Solarii gathered around together, listening to their leader speak. Upon further inspection Lara saw that they were all facing a large unlit pyre, a pyre that she then saw Sam was strapped to.

"But here...here we are the Solarii, the Sun Queen's children!" Mathias was stood in front of the pyre donning cult like robes, addressing the crowd like a messiah. Sam watched on helplessly. "She brought us here for a reason. I know you want your freedom; I know you want to escape this place, but to do so we must release our Queen."

Lara accessed the situation, but there wasn't much she could do except face the men head on. She could only see two men who held some kind of firearm; the rest appeared to have nothing, which could work to her advantage. She was all but ready to charge in, that was until Mathias started talking about something that piped her interest.

"She is a prisoner like us! If we can free her, we free ourselves! This girl, she carries the blood of this land. She could be the key! The ritual of flames will show us the truth."

Lara didn't entirely know what Mathias meant by Sam being the key. The fire ritual was used for the transferring of power, or so Lara thought after reading the murals back in Himiko's tomb. But Lara didn't see why that meant Sam was involved or what use it was in getting off the island, but before she could ponder further a lone Solarii lit a torch and began to walk towards Sam. The filmmaker began to struggle against her bonds but it was no use. Lara had to act _now_.

"Himiko! You are the first and the last...SPEAK TO US NOW!"

Lara flung herself from cover, raised her bow, pulled back the string, aimed and fired an arrow which flew through the air before slicing itself through the Solarii's head. Sam let out a muffled sound of surprise at seeing her friend come to her rescue. Mathias growled in anger as he spun around to face the archaeologist that had come to be a thorn in his side. With purpose Lara looked at him square in the eye, ready to fire an arrow into his head too. However, before she could fire a large fist connected with her cheek, causing her to drop her bow; the arrow she fired skimmed past Mathias off target. Lara was stunned, yet she somehow managed to fall into a roll before she hit the floor. As she stood up the British girl pulled out her pistol and fired three shots into the man who had punched her, causing him to drop down dead.

"Go to hell," she muttered at the corpse.

Fighting ensued. Wave after wave of Solarii ran towards Lara, and for a short time she managed to hold them off with her pistol, rifle and shotgun. However it soon became obvious that she was greatly outnumbered, and Lara realized that after she collided with a man who flung her body over his shoulders in a violent tackle. Lara swore she heard something crack as her back connected with the hard stone floor. Instantly, two Solarii were upon her; with one kicking and beating her body and face to a bloody pulp, while the other held her down.

"You killed our brother!" they snarled as they kicked her in the ribs. "Now we're gonna kill you! This is for Vladimir outsider!"

After a minute or so of being attacked, Lara truly believed them. She let out a pained cry as a fist hit her side wound. Her vision was swimming as her body was continually battered and she began to feel herself slipping out of consciousness.

"ENOUGH!" ordered Mathias. "Dmitri, Nikolai...bring her to me."

Spots danced around Lara's eyes as the men roughly grabbed her by the arms. She felt warm liquid trickle down her face and over her lips; the bland iron taste of blood swirling in her mouth. Nikolai and Dmitri dragged her limp body across the room to their leader, as Lara struggled to stay awake. When they reached Mathias they pushed the girl to his feet. Lara slumped to the ground breathing hard. Mathias frowned in annoyance, motioning for the two brothers to support the girl by the arms so he could talk to her.

"Every creature in nature will turn and fight when its very survival is at stake," Mathias stated as he yanked Lara's head up by the hair to see her face. "So don't think I don't understand you Lara. I've just been doing this a lot longer. Ready yourself brothers!"

He released her head and turned back to his followers. Lara strained her neck up to look at Sam, who in turn was looking back at her with worry in her eyes. She'd just witnessed Lara being beaten to near death, only to realize that it also meant that she wasn't getting rescued. And now Lara, poor injured Lara, would have to watch her burn alive. Mathias grabbed the discarded torch before throwing it on the pile of wood near Sam's feet. The American girl began to panic and wiggle in a desperate attempt to break free.

"SPEAK TO US HIMIKO!" Mathias bellowed.

Lara cried out in protest, wishing she had the strength to struggle against Dmitri and Nikolai's grasp. Meanwhile Sam had begun to cry softly as she awaited the inevitable.

"Sam," Lara rasped, catching the filmmaker's attention. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Just look at me...look at me okay?"

Sam wished that they hadn't gagged her mouth so that she could tell Lara she loved her, but instead she did as Lara asked; gazing into the archaeologist's eyes for what she thought would be the last time. That was until out of nowhere a large gust of wind surged through the cavern, extinguishing the flames instantly. When it stopped, Sam slumped to her knees in relief. The fires had been only inches away from her boots. Lara was rather bewildered at the supernatural wind, but thankful that she hadn't witnessed Sam dying. Mathias on the other hand, looked like a giddy child at Christmas.

"She...she's the one," he stated in minor disbelief. "SOON MY BROTHERS WE WILL BE REBORN!"

Mathias grinned at Sam menacingly as a Solarii released her from the pyre.

"Take her to the throne room," he ordered before turning his attention to Lara. "Your fight is over creature."

To hell it is, Lara thought. She now had another chance to rescue Sam. Albeit it was a slim one, and that Lara still didn't fully understand what was going on with the ritual, Himiko and the storms. But Sam was alive and that was all that mattered. Adrenaline coursed through Lara's body, giving her back the strength she needed to fight. As the two Solarii brothers led her away from Mathias and Sam, Lara began to form a plan in her mind. First she would kill these bastards, and then she'd go save her friend.

Lara had made a promise to the filmmaker and she intended to keep it.

* * *

**Was it just me who thought that after taking out numerous bad guys, why did Lara get defeated pretty much straight away when she tries to rescue Sam from burning alive? Surely she'd be able to take down more than one Solarii?**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.**


	6. Reunion

Nearly burning to death wasn't something that Sam would recommend.

Okay yes dying was way worse, but being close was just as frightening. When Mathias had dragged her from that room to the underground cavern and tied her to that pyre, Sam had nearly given up hope. Seeing the numerous Solarii gathering below her feet, just to watch her die was sickening and had only added to Sam's distress. Watching that man carry the burning torch toward her, Sam had prayed to everything and everyone under the sun. Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Oprah...heck even fucking _Yoda_, Sam didn't give a shit, she just didn't want to go out that way. Sam had always thought she'd live till she was old and grey with a large family, a couple of dogs and a loving husband...or wife.

Her prayers had been answered when she watched that arrow slam into the Solarii's head. Lara had come just like she said she would. Sam had cried in relief at the sight of her best friend. That was until it became clear that Lara was outnumbered when the poor girl was rugby tackled to the floor by a huge beast of a man, who very well looked like he could have been a wrestler. Christ especially with those arms that were probably bigger than The Rock's. But if nearly burning to death was bad, then having to watch your best friend/person you secretly love beaten unconscious was definitely up there on Sam's list too. When those two bastards had finally stopped after Mathias ordered them to (probably the only bit of good the man had done since they'd washed up on the island), Lara had been dragged in front of Sam and pushed to the floor like a ragdoll. Sam had looked in Lara's broken eyes as the girl tried to reassure her it'd be alright when Mathias lit the pyre.

Then a fucking miracle happened. Some freak force of nature saved her ass by dousing the fire before it could even touch Sam's body. Combined with the smoke and heat, the panic Sam had felt during the ordeal meant that she'd passed out straight after. When Sam woke up again she was dazed, confused and in some grand room in the palace, which she presumed was the throne room. That's where she was now, with Mathias and a couple of Solarii. Sam recognised one as one of the men who had beaten Lara earlier; she tried hard not to snarl at the bastard as he swaggered over to her to free her of her bonds on her wrists. She also realised he had Lara's various weapons slung over his shoulders, aside from her bow and quiver.

"Aren't you going to thank Dmitri for freeing your hands?" Mathias asked her.

Sam didn't answer and chose to look down at the floor. Mathias inched closer to the filmmaker and pinned her against one of the large pillars with his sceptre, the blade only inches from her neck.

"I don't think you understand, you have been chosen Samantha. This is a great honour for you! For all of us! Some were beginning to doubt we'd ever find you...but here you are."

He was insane. That was the only way Sam could describe him. What the hell was he talking about? That she'd been chosen? Chosen for what, American Idol? Ha! She had nothing to do with Himiko, aside from the fact that she may be distantly related to her. Maybe if she could get him to realize that, then he'd let her go.

"Please, I know you think I'm something special but I'm not. I don't want to be chosen!"

"This is not about what you want," he said dismissing her argument.

Sam felt like the conversation was similar to the one she'd had years ago with her parents before they'd shipped her off to boarding school. That is if her parents were ever crazed murderers who liked burning twenty two year old girls to death.

"It's about what you are! Himiko's blood runs in your veins...I think you know this."

"You're fucking insane Mathias!" Sam snapped. "Why are you doing this!?"

"You're searching for logic and reason where there is none. I made the same mistake once, back when I thought ships could reach us, and planes wouldn't fall from the sky."

"I just want to go home."

Without warning Mathias grabbed the filmmaker's neck and applied pressure. Sam began to choke and tried to pull apart the fingers that were squeezing the air from her lungs.

"So do I, girl!" Mathias growled, saliva hitting Sam's cheek from his close proximity. "I've waited years for this moment! I've given my life!"

Mathias released the pressure on her neck before he threw Sam to the wooden floor. She gasped and spluttered as the madman continued his 'speech.'

"Don't you think I've tried to get away from here? We're all trapped here! But you Samantha! You have the power to release us! Many have willingly given up their souls for this gift!"

Sam tried not to think about the many souls that Mathias was referring to, and if they'd actually willingly chose to burn at the stake. Somehow Sam didn't think that all of them were saved by a gust of wind like she was. Still catching her breath she was startled by the footsteps of another Solarii brother running into the throne room. Mathias immediately turned his attention to the man.

"The fires are getting worse. The other girl's vanished!"

The madman roared in anger at the news that Lara was still alive.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU AND NIKOLAI TO KILL HER?"

"W-well," stuttered the man. "She surprised us and jumped down into the blood pit. We figured she was dead. But then she released the other prisoners and set off all these explo..."

The man hadn't even finished his sentence before Mathias drove his sceptre into his throat, causing blood to violently pump out like a burst water pipe. Even though it was the second time she'd seen a man die before her eyes, Sam tried her hardest yet again to not vomit at the sight.

"This must be ended." Mathias simply stated as he began to walk to the far door. "Dmitri, guard her with your life."

The Russian man grunted in acknowledgement and he stepped over Sam. The filmmaker found it unnerving that Dmitri hadn't even flinched at the sight of his comrade being turned into a shish kebab. That and the way he just stared at Sam like a piece of meat, almost as if he was trying his hardest not to defy orders by throwing himself on her. Luckily for Sam, he didn't get a chance to act on his desires. The metal pick of a familiar red climbing axe was lodged into Dmitri's brain, before it was ripped out again, causing the Russian to slump to the ground dead. Sam was grateful when she saw the face of the British archaeologist that had come to capture her heart.

"LARA!" Sam yelled in relief, pushing herself off the floor. "Oh my god you're here!"

The filmmaker flung herself into Lara's strong arms in a much needed embrace. Lara snaked her hands around the smaller girl's petite frame and smiled into her soft dark hair. Sam's fingers grasped the back of Lara's head tightly, somehow hoping that the archaeologist could protect her from the horrors of Yamatai if she stayed in this position. It was only when she tasted salt in her mouth that she realised she was crying.

"Hey...it's okay. It's okay," Lara soothed, tightening her hold on Sam until the tears stopped. "It's going to be okay."

Reluctantly, Lara broke the hug and placed her hands on Sam's shoulders. The two girls were still very close to each other; Sam could see every inch of the cuts littered across Lara's battered face. Oh god...she'd forgotten about the beating. Tenderly, Sam raised her hand to touch the other girl's bruised cheek. Lara winced slightly at the contact, but relaxed when Sam began caressing it with the pad of her thumb.

"Sam..."

Lara leaned further into Sam's touch; it was intoxicating. Sam was pretty much thinking the same thing as she stared at Lara's face in fascination. Sam noticed that the air began to shift around them as they locked gazes. Wait a second, when did you end up nose to nose? Lara's breath mingling with yours, lips so close. Oh no, Sam control your emotions! This is Lara, your _straight_ best friend! The girl you've lived with for more than six years, the girl who has an unhealthy obsession with Yorkshire tea and also has a secret nerd love for Lord of the Rings. The girl who you caught dancing that one time in her underwear along to One Direction's '_Kiss You'_ (as much as she tries to deny it). Damn...she looked good in nothing but her underwear though. Oh who are you kidding Sam? You fucking want this and judging by the look Lara's giving you, she does too.

The girls' lips were mere inches from each other when a loud explosion from nearby interrupted, causing the two to fling apart in shock. Like a slap in the face, Lara's mood shifted as she remembered the task at hand. She began picking up her weapons off of Dmitri's corpse; putting the pistol back in the holster and slinging the shotgun and rifle over her shoulders. Sam mused at how Lara looked like the female version of Rambo; if only she had her camera.

"We need to leave before Mathias comes back," Lara stated, grabbing the filmmaker's hand and pulling her back in the direction she'd come. "Whitman should be waiting."

Peering round the corner, Lara was startled to find the good doctor wasn't there. Hmm.

"Whitman! Whitman!" she hissed at the empty corridor. "Where the bloody hell is he?"

Silently, and still holding hands, Lara led Sam down the hallway, still suspicious as to where her fellow archaeologist was. Sam was just about to speak up about the near kiss when Whitman flung himself around the corner with Mathias behind him. Just her luck.

"Run Lara! Run!" he wailed.

Immediately Sam watched as the British girl took charge of the surprise by pushing Sam back towards the throne room. She whipped out her shotgun and aimed it at the Solarii.

"Get back Sam!" she commanded. "Back into the throne room!"

Lara raised the direction of her aim and fired at the weak wooden support beam above. Instantly it crumbled and blocked the path of their attackers. By the time Lara reached the throne room, Sam was already running through the opposite exit.

"Come on Lara quick!" Sam hollered.

The archaeologist sprinted across the room, only to skid to a halt when the support beam on the exit also collapsed, separating the girls once more. Sam looked at her friend through the gaps in between the wood with panic in her eyes.

"Keep going Sam! Just stay out of sight, I'll try to find another way out. It'll distract them from you."

Lara unhooked her assault rifle and loaded a new magazine before leaving Sam and taking cover behind one of the large pillars. Sam didn't want to leave the girl by herself, but she didn't really have much choice. And besides, Lara was more than capable of looking after herself. Sam took off running through the maze of hallways, with the sound of gunfire, men dying and Lara's shouts of bravado echoing behind her.

* * *

**Once again I changed the plot slightly to fit in some Lara x Sam goodness. And yes Lara was dancing to One Direction, I am not a massive fan myself, but the boys do have a few catchy songs. That and Zayn is hot. Don't judge haha!**

**Also all the reviews, follows and favourites I'm getting are really appreciated! **


End file.
